What’s so important about words?
We find out!
Good copywriting lies at the heart of virtually every aspect of effective marketing material. Southampton-based copywriting expert, Phil Allcock explains why:
Okay, what exactly does a copywriter do?
A copywriter is someone who specialises in writing text (copy) for any kind of marketing material. This can range from newsletters, brochures, adverts, press releases, case studies and articles through to websites, ezines (email newsletters), blogs, direct mail and even speeches!
Copwriting shouldn’t be confused with copyright, which is something entirely different!
But I can write – so why do I need a copywriter?
Most people think that because they’ve studied English at school, they can write good copy. Wrong! Copywriting is a subtle art. It uses a range of skills and techniques that are designed to give impact, clarity and power to your marketing messages. Ultimately, it aims to encourage and persuade existing and potential customers to use your products and services rather than those of a competitor.
But are the words I use in my marketing material that important?
Absolutely! They can spell the difference between failure and success. Words have real power – just think about it for a moment. They can make or break relationships; they can inspire and motivate; they can destroy someone’s confidence; they can start wars or help to bring peace.
In marketing, good writing – and the use of the right words - is essential. Here are just three reasons why:
• If you have poorly written marketing material, it’s unlikely to inspire people to use your company’s solutions.
• If your material contains numerous errors or bad grammar, this reflects badly on your business. Customers would be entitled to think that it means that your company’s service might also be poor.
• If items such as your website pages don’t have an immediate impact, people won’t bother to read on – and you will have lost prospective customers.
What about training?
There are various courses available – and I’ve been thinking of starting to provide this service myself. However, the usefulness of the training will depend upon the quality of the ‘raw material’. Some people are natural writers – others will improve with training but will never really be good enough to be let loose on your marketing material!
I also write two blogs which provide a host of copywriting tips – you can find a link to one of them on my website. To give you a good starting point, I’ve summarised some of my tips elsewhere on this page.
So, how can I find a good copywriter?
Recommendations are always a good starting point. If you use a marketing or design company, they will often have an in-house copywriter (but they may mark up the costs to cover overheads etc.)
However, if you want a freelance copywriter and you don’t know anyone who uses one, you could try to find one via Google or another search engine. You need to be careful, though – there are a lot of people out there who call themselves copywriters but who aren’t very good at the job.
Make sure that they are experienced. They should have worked with a wide range of companies and should also have written many different types of marketing collateral. They should know that there’s a difference between writing brochures and writing website pages.
Of course, the other alternative is that you could always come to me…...
Phil Allcock
www.phila.co.uk